Thing do change
by maccimoo
Summary: So things have changed, Alec is freaking and Max is strangely accepting. What happens when Logan reappears and has a wife in tow?
1. Logan Returns

Don't own em unless they are original...yadayadayada

He strode purposefully into the Bar. He had forgotten what it was like, dark and smoky with loud music and young people hanging out, drinking beer, having a blast. It wasn't a place he would typically frequent these days, but he needed to get in contact with Max, and well, he had tried just about everything else he could think of. Glancing around he saw so many women with long dark hair but he knew that none of them were her. From what info he could gather, if she did frequent Crash these days she wouldn't be recognisable. No that would be far too risky.

He avoided looking at anyone in the face knowing that since he had been ousted as eyes only he would be recognised even with his glasses and darker hair. He wasn't here to get his own glory; he was here because he needed to speak to Max. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a group playing pool and he saw the unmistakable hair that belonged to Cindy. He turned towards the group and hesitated, his mind starting to drift.

In the short couple of minutes that he watched the group he thought back to the last time he had seen Cindy and Sketchy. It had been a long time, just over 2 years in fact when he did the math in his head. It had been the day that the Macticoreans raised their flag at Terminal City. The day that Max told him he needed to leave. The day she admitted that she had failed to correct his suspicions about the nature her and Alec's relationship. The day he had realised that even if they loved each other, they would never ever be together.

Shaking his head out of memories which threatened to consume him and derail his mission, he all but sprinted over to Cindy. Hearing the conversation as he approached, he smiled to himself, having known that none of these people would have changed, that they would still be the same.

"Boo, when yo gonna learn? Yo know yo ain't gonna win fool. I dunno what goes through that thick head o yours" O.C could be heard telling Sketchy off, as he got beaten at Pool probably losing all his money again.

"Oh, c'mon your originalness, Alec taught me some new moves earlier, I want to try them out" Sketchy exclaimed as Cindy raised her eyebrows.

"Hmmm, yeah but Hot Boy you ain't Sketch. And he ain't around to bail yo white ass out a trouble" Logan's ears had perked at the mention of Alec, and he knew then that he had been stupid to leave coming here till last. Maybe he could have gotten this over with already if he had followed his first instinct and tried getting in contact with Max through her friends.

Logan cleared his throat and Cindy and Sketchy glanced behind and couldn't hide the shock at seeing Logan Cale standing behind them.

"Oh my God!!! Logan buddy, how are you?" Sketchy recovered quickly and was first to speak.

"I'm good Calvin, and how are you two? It's been a while" He replied trying to hide the anxiety he was feeling. He hated not being in control. He hated not being able to manipulate the situation to his own advantage and he knew, he couldn't under any circumstances alienate or upset O.C and Sketchy or he would be seriously in trouble. O.C was eyeing him suspiciously, but that was nothing unusual. He had always felt that she did not like him and he could sense the distrust coming from her.

"All good here" was the terse reply, and then he knew what was coming "So, what brings you here? Now that yo all good in the hood with your family and shit, wouldn't have thought yo would be slummin it with the likes of us." She paused again "Unless of course yo white ass is needin' our help with something." She was giving him that look. The look which said that she wasn't going to let him get involved with Max again. He'd seen that look once or twice directed at Alec and he pondered the thought. Had Cindy seen what he had thought he was seeing? Had she seen all that tension, bickering and fighting and thought it was attraction and plain old heavy duty UST that was just itching to come tumbling out. Or was she just watching Max's back.

He could see her eyes narrowing the longer he took to answer but he just couldn't get past the thoughts that were consuming him, the memories enveloping his mind due to being at Crash. He hadn't even thought about Alec for over a year. In the space of 5 minutes his insecurities started coming back to the surface.

"Well, Cindy I wish I was here just to catch up, but obviously these days I don't get to do that kind of thing very often. I do apologise that I haven't really made the time to see you guys and make sure you were ok but I have been out of the country as you may have been aware" he paused and watched them both nod, saying that yes they did know, so he continued "I have finally been able to come back and well, I need quite honestly to get in contact with Max. And I know you probably don't want to help me, and you probably hate me for what went down due to my eyes only exposure and trust me no one feels worse about it all than me. I just really need to apologise, and explain and see how she is, and make sure she is ok and tell her....." he trailed off as he looked at their expressions. Cindy was a storm cloud just waiting to erupt and Sketchy was looking at him pensively.

"You don't know" Sketch said simply.

Logan's heart leapt into his mouth. The first thought in his head was 'Oh shit, Max is dead' followed by 'no I would have heard...Crap, she has left Seattle' "Know what?" he asked dreading the answer.

"Well, we couldn't help you even if we wanted to. We haven't seen or spoken to Max in 2 years." Sketchy answered.

Logan sighed. He felt his shoulders slump in defeat. He felt his heart shatter in thousands of pieces. "What about Alec?" he heard himself mutter before he could stop himself.

"Well, beside the fact that Hotboy would be less likely to help you than us, we can't contact him. Yo big ears probably heard this dumb fool mention him before and if yo had shown up an hour earlier yo would have seen him yo'self. But he showed up very unexpectedly and we hadn't seen his hot ass for close to a year so don't go getting no ideas in that direction" Logan nodded when Cindy stopped speaking.

"Well, if you do happen to speak to Alec or Max or anyone who could help, here is my card, please get them to contact me. I would appreciate your help. Nice to see you both" He handed them a business card, smiled nervously and hurried as fast as he could out of Crash feeling their eyes boring into him.

"Well, O.C, are we gonna tell em?" He asked her once Logan was gone.

O.C stood thoughtful and still staring at the door. "I think we are gonna have to. They know he's been fishin' and we knew he'd show his white ass sooner or later." She continued that nasty looking stare at the door "hand me yo phone fool, I'll get onto Hot boy"

Sketchy handed his phone over to OC and she dialled a number still looking toward the door as the call went through.

"Go for max" Unsurprisingly Max answered Alec's phone.

"Boo. What's happenin' Sugah?" Cindy asked, still looking at the door, almost expecting Logan to march back in.

"Well, I am working away as usual while my wise ass 2IC has his feet up out in the main room, flirting with anything in a skirt. What's up Cin? I wasn't expecting to hear from you tonight." OC could hear the smile in Max's voice and hesitated to answer but Sketch was looking at her making hand gestures like keep going...TELL HER!

"We had an old friend show up tonight at Crash after Alec left" She paused not wanting to tell Max but knowing it had to be said.

"Oh, um let me guess. Was it Herbal? Kendra? That chick from Jam Pony who got her heart trampled on by Pretty Boy, what was her name?" Max started rambling off the names of a heap of transient females that had worked at Jam Pony. "Hey Pretty Boy, Get your ass in here"

Cindy heard Alec in the background "Always with the ass Maxie. I know you want it."

Max laughed "In your dreams, OC is on the phone, apparently an old friend of ours showed up tonight after you came back." She spoke back into the phone "Well, who?"

OC took a deep breath "Logan" waiting for the response.

Max dropped the phone, stood up "I gotta get the fuckin hell out of here" In a flash she was gone. It had been better than OC expected.

Alec groaned, picked up the phone "So, Roller boy is back in town? What did he say?"

"Not much, just about how he needed to speak to Max, explain, apologize, make sure she is ok. We played it cool Boo, and exactly how you told us to. I think he came here last. Seemed more nervous than Normal in a room full of transgenics. Gave us a card with contact details" She looked at it and laughed "Fool is now CEO of Cale Enterprises and has a real posh ass address"

"Hang on to it for me Cin. I'll swing by tomorrow and grab it. Pay Roller boy a little visit. Have a man to man chat" Alec chuckled despite how he felt. "Gotta go and find Queen Maxie before she does some damage to some poor unsuspecting ordinary." Then he added "No offense OC"

"None taken Hot Boy. Go find our girl and Boo" she paused "Make sure she knows we got her back no matter what she decides to do to his fool ass. See ya soon Boo" And she hung up, looked at Sketch and shrugged. "Think it'll be an interesting few days."


	2. A Cure for What Ails You?

_**A Cure For What Ails You.**_

Alec left Command headquarters and looked to the left. Max's motorcycle was still there which meant she had either gone to the highest building to have some thinking time, or she was drinking beer at the TC bar. Using his self proclaimed amazing powers of deduction he walked the 500 or so metres to the bar. During the short walk he remembered some of the events from the past two years. There had been some really good times and some incredibly painful and difficult events that if he hadn't experienced for himself, he would honestly wonder if they were true.

While they were now free and legal citizens of the good old US they still had a lot of enemies. A big chunk of those enemies were because of Logan. _At least, White is out of the picture. Gotta love a good old heart attack. _Alec's train of thought drifted to witnessing White have a heart attack and die right in front of them after setting up an elaborate ruse to get them alone and far away from all their transgenic friends. It had taken a long time for Max and Alec to get over the shock of witnessing White dying right in front of them mid diatribe. It still cheered a crap day whenever Alec thought about it.

He reached the little bar and looked in the window looking for Max's long dark hair. There she sat inside with a bottle of Jack and a glass. _Hmmm, that's what I normally drink. I must be rubbing off on her after all_ he thought to himself as he entered. There was only a couple of others in there, both X5's whom he nodded to as he walked in and plonked himself next to her, signalling to Tam for a glass.

"So Maxie, Logan has finally decided to make contact" he stood side on, leaning his elbow on the bar looking at her while he spoke. "We knew a few weeks ago that he was back, we were expecting it, thought you would have been prepared."

"Don't call me Maxie" Max picked up her glass and drank the contents. "I know we were expecting it, Alec, I guess it pisses me off that he thinks he can just waltz back in and apologise" turning her head she looked up at him. "He did want to do that didn't he? I didn't even give OC a chance to tell me what he said" She topped up the glass and knocked it back.

"Easy there Tiger. I know we don't get drunk easily but you are knocking this back like water." Alec paused for effect. "Give me a chance to catch up" he smirked at her, getting a laugh in response. Tam gave him a glass and walked away obviously giving them space. "Yes, he wants to apologize, explain, make sure your hot little bod is still in one piece" he ducked as her hand flew up to the back of his head for the slap which he had earned with his smart aleck comment. "Maybe we should hear him out. Find out why he threw you and I deep in Russian, Italian, Chinese and every other Mafia shit by implying that we were the brains of the operation when, in reality he was eyes only. He knew what we had at stake, what we were already in the middle of. Won't change the fact that he is a fucking tool."

After a short laugh she spoke "Yeah well, no explanation or apology can ever fix what he did." Another drink and she turned back to Alec. On her face was the look Alec had long ago penned the _'Logan Cale is a douche and is makin Maxie look like a sour lemon'_ look, not that he'd told anyone but Sketch and Mole about it. "I lost almost everybody I love because of him. The only one who is still around is you"

Alec raised his eyebrows. _She must have drunk a fair few before I got here, never have I heard her say she cares _he thought before speaking. "Maxie, Maxie, Maxie. You really know how to make a guy feel special." He had a drink and then asked the question he was dreading the answer to "Do you still love him? Is that why you are so spooked?"

"No Alec. I don't love him. We have already gone over this" Max rolled her eyes as she filled up her glass and continued "I now know that most of what I felt was guilt over him ending up in a wheelchair. He used that guilt and manipulated me." Shaking her head she took a sip before making a noise that Alec would've called a snort. _Great, he probably gonna start calling me snorty or something equally as stupid_ she shuddered at the thought before continuing, oblivious to the amused look on Alec's face. "He kept feeding me enough info to keep me around helping him, serving his purpose. He kept so much a secret then lied about it and what pisses me off most is that he almost got us killed and he left us to not only deal with the fallout of helping him but still trying to stop the army, police and every transgenic hating ordinary from killing us too. It wasn't like I helped him because I was fighting the good fight. I just wanted his help finding my brothers and sisters."

Her old and justified anger was starting to come back to the surface. She shook her head refusing to let Logan make her angry again. Turning toward Alec she took another sip. Her glass was once again empty and required filling up. As she grabbed the bottle, which Alec then noticed was a new one, Alec grabbed her wrist.

"Think you might want to slow down there oinky" Oh, he loved that she wouldn't have been expecting that one, snorty maybe, but not oinky. He saw that scrunched up face and smirked as he kept talking, he was just so good at talking "We may be transgenic but drinking that much, in such a short time, on what I know to be a pretty empty stomach, can get you drunk. We have learned that lesson a few times over the last couple of years"

"Don't call me Oinky." Looking straight ahead Max looked pensive. "Actually, Now that I know the difference between love and guilt, I don't think I ever really loved him. And he really is a fucking tool" She ignored Alec's grunt of shock. She had never said it out loud to anyone but Cindy so she knew he was going to be shocked. For so long she had been going to tell him but couldn't be bothered with the wise cracks that would undoubtedly follow. Glancing sideways she kept talking deciding to lighten the mood "Sides, I don't have time for love these days."

He rubbed her wrist and muttered "Always time for lovin' Maxie" His eyes darkened and travelled from her eyes down her body. Her face reddened as Alec's eyes took her in. "Do you need some lovin?" his voice was low and very sexy causing a flash of desire to go through Max.

"Yes" It flew out of her mouth before she could stop it or think about it. "Let's go back to your place" It was out there, the unspoken of attraction, her inhibitions gone due to the full bottle of Jack Daniels she had demolished in a really short time.

Alec could barely conceal his shock or the eagerness he felt to get her home before she changed her mind. Not that he was sure she really wanted this, or if he did. Sure he joked and teased and flirted and hinted all the time but never before had either one of them turned it serious. He, if asked would call whatever they had a strange friendship born out of circumstance and guilt. She was bitchy and tense yet had become strangely caring. During the last two years they had spent more time together than with anyone else and he had always been attracted to her but he wasn't sure what that meant.

In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he had slept with anyone, or when he had even wanted to. Women were always coming on to him and he always said no these days. At Crash earlier at least 5 seriously hot chicks had tried and he had politely rebuffed them all. It had never occurred to him that there was the possibility of getting busy with Max until she said yes, instead of the usual "you wish" or "when hell freezes over" or "in your dreams" Now that it was out there in his face he really didn't know what to do. He thought the only possibility of them ever having sex would be if she went into heat around him and they couldn't control themselves, which hadn't happened yet but they had come pretty close the last time.

He watched as she picked up the glass with the hand he wasn't holding by the wrist and emptied the contents. She topped up both the glasses and did the same again. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him drink the amber liquid and look back at her like he was trying to decide whether he should take her up on the offer or not. "This is a one night offer Alec, take it or leave it." Max could clearly see the conflict warring inside him. She was feeling the same. But she needed some kind of comfort and well, Alec's usual choice of Jack Daniels really wasn't cutting it.

Max could feel that the alcohol was more than slightly affecting her but it would be an honest to goodness friendly fuck between friends and everything would be fine and normal tomorrow, because they aren't like that. Some small nagging part of her said _Sure, not like that at all. Keep telling yourself that Sweetcheeks _making Max wonder when her inner demon had turned into a female version of Alec, sarcasm and wit included.

Max watched him refill his glass several more times and drink with quick succession until there was only enough in the bottle for a drink each. He still hadn't spoken and she hadn't said anything else. He filled both their glasses before turning and looking at her. They both drank their drinks, still not speaking, when Alec suddenly turned to her. She could feel her pulse quicken and wondered what he was going to say.


	3. There really is a God

Big Huge Thanks for the reviews!!! Sorry for being mean and leaving it where it was. This should make you happy!!

Green eyes were burning into her and she could see that his war was over. "Let's grab another couple of bottles and finish this conversation at my place then shall we?" He signalled to Tam to bring over another 2 bottles and once they were there stood up grabbing them with one hand and Max's hand with the other, tugging her out the door.

Tam watched them leave wondering if they were finally going to get it together. Anyone with half an eye could see that there was something there even if they hadn't realized yet.

They walked silently and briskly towards Alec's dive of an apartment. He still had one even though more often than not he crashed at HQ, Max's or Joshua's. Occasionally on those nights where they let their hair down and got down and dirty with a few bottles of Jack Daniels or Mole's special mix, they would crash at Alec's because his was the closest. But never had they gone there with sex on the agenda.

If anyone of their friends had seen them, they could have been forgiven for wondering where the fire was. Never had those two X5's moved with such purpose after a few drinks. Max, who was way past the point of tipsy, was walking slightly behind Alec and couldn't help but stare at his ass. _Nice, tasty, and just for tonight I am going to really enjoy it. _She took a swig from the bottle she was carrying and grabbed at his ass before she could think about it.

Stopping his forward march, Alec, who just wanted to get her back to his place and naked before either of them backed out, nearly died at shock and pleasure at the uncharacteristic ass grab. "Maxie, is that your hand on my ass?" He tried to keep it light, normal and fun, because he didn't to make this some angst ridden moment they would never get past should Max change her mind.

Max chuckled "Yes, you keep telling me I want it so I just thought I'd take it"

Alec decided he needed some more dutch courage and also that they maybe shouldn't go to either one of their places. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. He didn't want to ruin their friendship, he cared too much for her to ruin things. He put the bottle to his lips, took a large drink and felt the liquid burn as went down.

Turning around to look at her, he took a deep breath ready to say "Let's not do this" But as he looked at her he realised that yes, drunk as he felt, he really wanted to fuck her. And he needed it to happen now.

Max knew before he turned that he was going to bail and as she went to protest the look in eyes stopped her from speaking. It was a look of pure unadulterated lust. The kind that means the sex is going to be oh so hot. What she didn't realise is that she was looking at him the same way. She couldn't speak. The ability for both of them appeared to have disappeared. Max couldn't decide if she couldn't speak because she was so damn inebriated or so damn aroused.

Before they knew what was happening they had moved closer to each other and were breathing each other in. To anyone else they would have reeked of Jack Daniels and something akin to musty staleness from Terminal City and nothing else, but to them it was just Alec and Max. They stood for what felt like hours but what was in reality seconds before their lips crashed together, causing fireworks to go off for both of them.

_Am I in a cartoon? I thought fireworks were only in cartoons?_ Alec was still TV obsessed even in a state of alcohol fuelled lust. _Need to get naked now_ and he started moving them from the middle of the dingy dark street towards an alley he had just walked past.

Max was on fire. Alec's lips had ignited something inside her she didn't even know existed. _GET ME NAKED_ her mind was screaming and she didn't care about where it happened.

Three years ago if anyone have told them they would have ended up drunkenly fucking each other down an alley, against a wall they would both have disgustingly said "Yeah, right"

If anyone had told them even three days ago that they would have ended up having the hottest and best sex ever down an alley in Terminal City with each other, they would have laughed hard and probably still been laughing about it. But that's what happened.

From the moment the lips touched it was like a switch went off inside both of them. Neither one could get close enough. Max's skin was on fire and heat radiated off of her even while her clothes were removed from her body in the cold Seattle air. Alec fumbled with his own buckle as he hurried to get his pants down. Max was pulling at his clothes and it took them a matter of seconds to get naked. They didn't even realise that the bottles had smashed somewhere along the way.

There was no hesitation or awkwardness as they started touching each other in places, that neither had ever thought they would be touching. Max shuddered as Alec licked and kissed her neck moving down slowly to take a nipple in his mouth. _This is heaven_ they both thought at the same time. Alec felt Max's arousal increasing with his own and took a finger and twirled it on her stomach, on her thighs and round to her hot little ass. He teased and tortured her not touching where she wanted him to touch most. When he finally stopped the torment he nearly died at how wet Max was. _All for me_ was running through his mind as he worked to make Max hotter.

Max couldn't believe the sensations running through her were being caused by Alec. Smart assed, wise cracking Alec was making her hotter than she ever thought possible. She could barely contain the groans coming out of her and she hadn't even realised that she was kissing and licking and nipping at his neck before biting down hard as she came. Alec stilled and suddenly her legs were around his waist and they were having the kind of sex he had thought wasn't possible. Max was shuddering around him and screaming his name and he bit into Max's neck without even realising what he was doing.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was a bond made through tough times or it was possibly the genetic match. Who knew why it was so fantastic and it was really a damn shame that they were both too drunk to remember exactly what happened the first couple of times. All either one would remember is that midway through round three, when the alcohol fuelled lust haze would finally start to lift, they would finally hear Alec's phone ringing.

_I wonder when that started_ he thought to himself as they both suddenly stilled and Max whispered "you had better answer it"

"Shut up Maxie. Let's finish first" And finish he did. He wanted to at least see her come just once without the alcohol hazing his sensations.

Alec kissed her hard and kept his eyes on hers, while thrusting hard and deep. He could feel her starting to lose control. She was wet, hot and losing whatever control she had as she shuddered all around him. It was about this point he felt himself let go and he could no longer control himself as he felt possibly the best orgasm he could remember. _There really is a god, and I think I just found it. Who knew that I needed to be fucking Maxie to find it._ Alec was feeling pretty happy and pretty fucking delighted with himself. Max was breathing hard and he kissed her one last time for good measure just as his phone started ring again.

Extracting themselves from each other was slightly awkward but necessary and they were both pissed that it had to happen the way it was. _Should have done this at her place, she is going to bolt on me now _he was spewing they were getting interrupted.

Alec fumbled amongst the clothing strewn around them before finding his phone and looking at it. It had stopped ringing and he saw 27 missed calls and all from Mole. Immediatley the ringing started up again. This time he answered "Yeah"

Max couldn't hear who it was, she was too busy trying to get her clothes on and not look at Alec as he stood naked listening to whoever was on the phone. She felt deliciously content and couldn't help but smile as she saw him comfortably standing in the buff in public no less. _My back is pretty scratched up but Alec's is too_ She thought _Stop staring Max, this is Alec, he may be hot, but he is your best friend not your boy. Oh he's my boy alright. _The two demons in her head were arguing so she shook her head and stopped looking.

"We are not like that" Alec heard Max muttering to herself. "This was just drunken comfort sex. We both needed some and we are friends. Best friends, it's completely natural to need sex at least once every couple of years, still friends, all normal, all good"

Alec was torn between hanging up the phone and possibly missing something vital that Mole was telling him, which he kind of already was because he just was not focused right now or kissing Max into shutting up because, they so weren't finished. And he knew that if they didn't get right back into what they had been doing, that was it. Moment gone, over, done.

"So what are we going to do, Pretty Boy? We can't let Cale get away with that." Alec hadn't even listened to what Mole had said.

Moment definitely over "Sorry Mole, the line was breaking up. What did he do?" Alec didn't want to alert Max to the fact that obviously, Logan was about to be the cause of more drama for them. She was almost dressed and he caught his last bit of skin and felt disappointment wash over him.

"Well, it appears he has had a team of hackers, trying to hack into our networks. He also has overlooked the fact that one of his team is one of us. She has been feeding the info back to us for a few days and putting blocks in place instead of moving them. It looks like he is going to try through other avenues to get in contact. There is more, can you find queen bitchiness and get in here? Where are you anyway? Been calling for 2 hours, must have rang you at least 25 times" Mole asked.

"27 times actually and we will be there in a little while, we are not far away. Just been out for a few drinks and didn't realize that it was the phone ringing. Give us time to grab some coffee, think we are going to need it." He hung up and started getting dressed. He could feel Max watching him. "Are we going to talk about it, Maxie?"

"We don't need to. We got a bit drunk, had sex, we got interrupted. It happens and everything is ok Alec. We are fine, normal, the same. Nothing changes. You are still the favourite thorn in my side. Alec I need us to be ok here." Max held her breath scared he was going to hate her for starting this.

"Ok, we are the same. Me smart Alec, you Maximum Bitch." He smirked to show he was ok. Even if somewhere deep down, in recesses he didn't even want to think about, he wasn't. "Let's grab a coffee and go see Mole, he has some info on Logan" And with that he walked out of the Alley toward the coffee house just on the edge of Terminal City.

Max watched him walk and shook her head at his bloody Tarzan reference, _damn old crappy TV shows, _before following behind because she desperately needed that coffee and to think about anything else other than how good more hot sex with Alec would be.


	4. No Going Back

Thanks for the reviews, I honestly never expected any.

By the time they got to HQ, there was no evidence of them having been drunk but both looked dishevelled and uncharacteristically calm. Neither had spoken, both too scared that they would say something stupid and ruin their friendship. They both hoped no one noticed that there was something amiss.

As they approached the building which housed their main office of operations, Max finally spoke "I wonder how long this is going to go for. I just want to go home"

Alec shrugged and answered "Dunno. Hopefully it won't go for too long. After all that hard work, I am feeling pretty damn tired. You sure are a slave driver"

He knew she would have been rolling her eyes so he just walked straight in ahead and up the stairs to the main office. Max for a change was at a loss at what to say. Normally a smart aleck remark would have received a slap to the back of the head as well as at least a "shut up Alec" But she just walked in behind him.

All eyes turned to them. They had all expected the typically loud and bitchy Max to come in her typically loud and bitchy way. Everyone thought she'd be ranting and raving and giving Alec a hard time but she was quiet and calm and she looked almost content. Even Alec was unusually silent which never happened. He was always talking to someone or about something whether any one was paying attention or not. Mole often said that he thought Max bitched in her sleep while Alec just never ever shut up.

Mole whispered to Joshua "If I didn't know better I would think from her serene calmness and his silence that Alec finally gave Max a long hard-"

"Well Mole, catch us up." Alec spoke and then continued "You should all know that tonight, Logan went to Crash and tried to get OC and Sketch to get him in touch with Max. They stuck to the plan, but not sure if he bought it or not."

Max tuned out to the discussion around her. She just couldn't be bothered thinking or worrying about Logan. His reappearance, they had known about the day he had arrived, the President's Aide notifying them immediately. Max honestly couldn't be bothered with him. But she knew the issue was important as having Logan back was sure to stir up trouble for everyone as more ordinaries discovered his return and they were reminded of Eyes Only and her involvement. Things had only recently calmed down so it was kind of important that things stay that way.

Suddenly Max couldn't help but watch Alec. _When did he become so grown up? When did he mature_? As they all discussed how to keep Logan away Max's thoughts drifted far from Logan and on to Alec. The shock of how good the sex they had been having earlier was still there. _It had never been like that before. Why was it so good? Do I love him? I know I love him, but am I in love with him? Can we still be friends the way we had been? Do I want to go back to that? Maybe we could be friends with benefits, fuck buddies or whatever the hell people call it. Would anyone notice that there has been a shift in our relationship? Mole probably would, Josh definitely would. Shit Alec is right, once you've done a transgenic there is no going back!!!_

Max's thoughts continued to drift until she realised what she was doing and started focusing. _Pay attention Max, this is important. We have all worked too hard for you to lose focus because Alec just fucked you 6 ways from Sunday and you loved it. Get your head back in the game._ Max then finally started paying attention to Mole for the first time since he started talking.

While Max tried to focus on Logan instead of Alec, Logan sat on the other side of Seattle in his pretty little house, with his pretty little wife thinking about Max.

His house wasn't really small, but it sure was pretty. He loved having been welcomed back into the family fold and all the cash that came with it. It was the one thing he had missed during the tough times, the copious amounts of readily available cash. He was also very pleased to finally have some kind of clout within the company as well. His uncle had really limited his involvement and when he had Eyes Only it never bothered him but now that he had nothing better to do with his time, he actually found it enjoyable. He was still mighty annoyed that his cousins had pretended that all the cash was gone and that Cale Industries was gone.

Logan was pretty confident that OC and Sketchy hadn't been completely honest about Max and Alec but he couldn't be 100% sure. It was disbelief he felt, at the total and distinct lack of information on Max's whereabouts. Every avenue led to a dead end and he had hired the best hackers money could buy. It was a small possibility that she had left Seattle after the drama with White, his exposure as Eyes Only, the exposure of her relationship with Him and her assistance of eyes only, the revelation of her brother's death because of him and the near death of herself and Alec that could be blamed on him. It was a pretty safe bet that most of his own enemies were still after them, even if they were no longer after him.

Though from what he had heard, Max had been heavily involved in the President's new laws relating to all the ex Manticore kids. That had only been finalized in recent months and Terminal City now was like a real little city within a city. You just had to have a bar code to get in there. And the new council was based there, so if Max is involved she must be here.

He knew that he was still in love with Max, his wife so similar in looks yet the polar opposite in personality, who he married to please his family and if he was honest to fill a void that losing Max has created. He didn't love her but she was pleasant to be around and he liked her so it would have to do. He had guilt for how he felt about his beautiful wife; she didn't deserve to be married to someone who was in love with someone else. So he drank pre pulse scotch. Drinking scotch had become his saviour lately and if he was honest he was probably an alcoholic.

But Logan was anything but honest with himself or anyone else. He was currently living in a tower of lies so high he wondered how he could possibly escape.

A knock on the study door disturbed him from his thoughts as he looked up and saw Natalie standing there.

"Logan honey, are you okay? I need to talk to you about something" The English accent still so obvious, he had found it so sexy before they were married. Now he just wanted it to go away and become bitchy, American and more like Max.

"Fine Nat, Is there a problem? Do you need more money or something?" He just wished she would go to bed. It was 2am and he liked being up and alone with his own dark thoughts.

"No Logan, I don't need more money." His constant push to give her money was getting on her nerves, but she knew it was because of her hormones so tried not to let it show. "I need to talk to you about something" She paused, looking so serious. Natalie had never been so nervous about a conversation in her life. "I'm pregnant. I have been trying to tell you for days, but you have been so busy and I have an appointment in the morning at the Doctors. I would like you to come with me"

"Oh. Sure." He could see the disappointment in his lack of happy reaction so he jumped up, thankful he had the fortune to afford the experimental surgery which coupled with the transfusions from Joshua had cured his paralysis. "I am just so happy, shocked but wow. We are having a baby!!" He hugged his wife and felt any hope of getting back with Max leave. He couldn't leave his wife now. _Perhaps Max will be my mistress when I find her. I will help her find her siblings and she will be with me now that there is no virus._

"Are you coming to bed now Darling? I'm pretty tired and I kind of miss you when you aren't there." Natalie was beaming at him, obviously overjoyed and in love. She felt so much relief as he had reacted well. She hadn't been sure how an unplanned pregnancy was going to go with him. He'd been so distant since they had moved back to his home town.

"Sure Sweetie. Let's go" Logan followed his wife to bed. So Logan went off to bed with his happy wife, wondering how in the hell this had happened but hopeful none the less that Max still loved him and would forgive him and his drunk mind decided that he could keep Natalie for a wife, a mother to his children and also have Max for his passion, his love. He was asleep quickly his mind consumed with thoughts of a woman who wasn't his wife but who he thought truly owned his heart and mind.

Back across town in Terminal City in the freshly painted and furnished offices that the Government had so happily paid for, The Head's of the Transgenic Council sat in HQ discussing the many obstacles that had been placed in Logan's way. Max found she couldn't focus on Logan and her thoughts drifted to the Mole and how much happier he had been lately.

Mole had relished taking care of the Logan threat. He had been a bit out of sorts since he had been declared unfit for active duty in the army due to his cigar smoking, "lung damage or some such crap" he had told Max and Alec. When Max and Alec had announced that they would be staying in TC and heading up the new Transgenic Council, Mole had happily announced he would help and he hadn't really wanted to go back into combat anyway, but he hadn't quite seemed content or occupied until Alec put him in charge of managing any threat to Max because of Logan.

The only good thing that had come from Logan's eyes only exposure and their involvement was that the government couldn't just sweep them under the carpet.

Independence and freedom did have a price, and Max and Alec had decided that they would be the ones paying.

It had been hard work getting enough evidence against the previous US governments to take to the United Nations. It had been pure luck that some of the scientists from Manticore had kept private and meticulous records and had happily handed them over. About 15 of the scientists had been given the good ole shaft after Manticore was exposed and well after everything they had been forced to do and witness well, they weren't happy campers. They were all getting screwed over so they decided to do it back.

It had been hard for Max and Alec to get past what some of them had done but they had done it for the benefit of all their transgenic and transhuman friends. Together with the help of an army of united nation employees, they had gone through thousands of files, and composed one of the biggest litigations in the history of the US and they had done so amazingly fast. They'd had no choice in the end but to get it done quickly as they had such huge targets on their back.

They hadn't even had to go to court. The lawsuit had been in the President's hand less than 24 hours when she called them herself asking for a meeting.

President Clinton had been horrified at all the crimes committed against the transgenic and transhuman children. She had admitted to vaguely knowing about the experimentation projects while her husband had been President but neither of them knew how Manticore had gotten away with it for so long.

She had given them what they wanted and more. Freedom though for the transhuman and transgenics was proving to be just as dangerous as before. But they didn't care. When you had a mind as quick and intelligent as theirs then really they were happier been occupied and busy.

Max's train of thought drifted back to Alec. She couldn't help looking at him. He was just looking so irresistibly sexy, and Max felt the room temperature start heating.

Alec could feel Max watching him. He was surprised to find that she wasn't even paying attention to the discussion going on around her and was so blatantly looking at him with those 'come get me tiger' eyes, that others were bound to notice. His own mind started to drift and he started remembering the previous couple of hours. _She came onto me. She instigated. Shit, is she in heat? Is she going to kill me because we fucked in public? And more than once? Maybe I am in love with her. Oh, crap. OC is going to kill me when she finds out what I let happen. God I want to do it again_. He could feel his body start reacting to his thoughts and he shifted uncomfortably.


	5. Irresistible

Ok, so I am leaving Logan out for at least a chapter or 2.... He depresses me too much.

Something inside Max snapped, and she wasn't sure what caused it but she needed to get Alec alone. And she needed it now. She looked at him and noticed him shifting on his seat. She caught his eyes, noticed them darken and get the same look as earlier when they were out on the street.

Clearing her throat which had suddenly become thick, she spoke for the first time since arriving "I think that most of this can be discussed tomorrow. The threat is not urgent. I am sure you all want to get out of here. Get some sleep." She went into her office. Everyone except Alec started agreeing and started getting themselves out of there.

"You coming for a quick drink Alec? I can hear a nice cold beer calling me that's for sure" Mole was as always heading to the Bar for his usual couple of beers before heading home. Most nights Alec went too.

"Nah, not tonight Mole. Had a fair few too many JD's earlier and I need to have a quick chat with Max before I go." Alec replied still sitting waiting for everyone to leave. "Night all"

As Joshua walked past he looked at Alec strangely. "Something wrong with medium fella? You have another fight with Lil fella?"

"Nah, Big Fella. Just need to make sure she is okay, you know with Logan trying to find her and stuff. She seems a bit spooked. Go home and get some sleep Big Fella. We will see you tomorrow"

"You come for breakfast. Joshua have fruit loops." Joshua loved taking care of them and Alec nodded.

"See you for breakfast Big Fella, I'll tell Maxie." He watched them all leave and waited for a couple of minutes to see if Max came back out. _2 minutes_ he thought to himself _and then I will go in._

Max knew he was out there but she needed a minute to get herself together. Her skin felt too tight for her body. It was almost like being in heat. _Call him in here, see if earlier was just a fluke. _"Alec, Are you still there?" She called out to him through the door.

He needed no further invitation. He was in the office in 2 strides. He had no sooner opened the door and Max was in his arms kissing him like she needed him more than air.

"I need you" she muttered with her lips still against his. There was no more talking. Clothes went flying. It was frenzied and fast and absolutely fantastic. They both couldn't understand where this had come from. Alec wouldn't have called it rough sex but it was no moonlight and roses. He loved not having to worry that he was going to hurt his partner. There had been so many when he first got out of Manticore and he always held something back.

For three years they had spent so much time together, comforting when the need arose, killing wherever necessary, protecting each other from anything they could as they both knew they were basically broken toys and everybody, needed someone to rely on. Somehow they had become each other's rock.

The sudden and intense shift had rocked them both. Max could now acknowledge that she had always been physically attracted to Alec but wasn't even sure if she even liked him sometimes. He was so freakin annoying on occasion that she often found herself so frustratingly agitated when he was around. Alec on the other hand wasn't sure if he, given the option, would have ever started spending time with Max. She was just so bitchy and nasty and he generally preferred his women to be adoring and compliant. He could admit, and had done so to Logan way back in the early days that he thought she was hot.

Lying together, entwined on the office floor afterwards, neither could speak. Both Max and Alec were so unsure of what to say and of how the other was feeling.

Surprising them both it was Max who spoke first. "Alec, what the hell was that? I mean, I don't know what just came over me. Or you for that matter. And no I am not in heat"

With a cat that ate the canary look on his face Alec shrugged "Well, that was going to be my first answer but now I think Maxie, you should call that a religious experience. Hotter than hot sex. I am wondering what the fuck took us so long. I mean obviously I am pretty damn irresistible"

Looking at him seriously, Max studied his face. The green hazel eyes, the sexy smattering of freckles on his nose, the delectable chiselled jaw. She could feel herself heating up, getting aroused just looking at him, closing her eyes she felt her mind wander. _What the hell is going on? Maybe I am in heat? No maybe Alec took some weird drug making him appear irresistible. How could I possibly feel ready again when we just barely stopped? ARGH!!!_

Alec watched her internal battle going on. He could tell from the way her nose scrunched up that she was thinking and then suddenly thanked his transgenic sense of smell. _She wants me_ "Maxie, is that fresh arousal I can sense and smell. Do you want to jump back on board the Alec love train?" He knew that sounded like something that Sketch would say but he was incapable of using his intelligence at that moment.

Before he could move she whacked him on his shoulder and turned into him muffling the response of "Yes"

Before he could think his lips were back on hers and his hands were touching, exploring and pleasuring.

Max was moaning his name, so blinded by the waves of pleasure she didn't even realize how sexy she sounded. Alec was on top of her thrusting hard and deep. He didn't know what was driving him all he knew is that he wanted to make it good for Max. Every moan was driving him closer to orgasm. He could tell she was close, hell he was close but he had superior stamina and he wasn't about to lose control because this may never happen again.

_This is incredible. Make it last Max, because this can't happen again. You don't need a relationship or anything making working together more difficult. Oh god. Alec is just so good. Maybe when I am in heat he can help me out. _Even in the throes of passion Max was trying to keep a level head. It didn't last long. Suddenly he was thrusting faster, harder and Max was shuddering and there was no coherent thought in either of their heads.

Fresh in the afterglow of great sex Max allowed some what if thoughts into her head. _What if they kept doing this until they both tired of each other? What if they started a relationship? What if this never happened again?_ The only thought that upset her was the thought of never having sex with Alec again.

It was of no surprise to Alec, when Max, who wouldn't have been Max otherwise, the self confessed Queen of Angst and totally incapable of honesty about her own feelings and who never ever did things the easy way, blurted out "You know we can't do this again. Sex makes it too complicated. We just have to pretend like it never happened."

What Max wanted deep down of course was for Alec to tell her that he didn't care what she wanted, that this would be happening again, a lot. But he didn't. In typical male form, he said "Well, if that's what you want Max." And then he started getting dressed. His mind was screaming at him to say or do something but being just as relationship retarded as Max he didn't.

Max too got dressed in silence. "By the way, Josh wants us to come for breakfast. He has fruit loops. I believe they are your favourite. I trust we can both go and be normal?" Alec reverted to his masked former self. He just didn't know how to act at that moment.

"Oh, okay. I'll be there." Max was quiet. Unsure of herself Max looked at him and attempted a smile.

Alec just needed to get out of there. "Yeah, okay, see you then" And he left. All but running out of there he looked at the watch on his wrist and saw that it was 5am. _Spose I'll go home, have a long shower, several coffees and then go to Josh's. No way that I can sleep now. Why the fuck did I just leave it like that? Things are never going to be normal with Maxie again. _ Luckily his place was close and he could get there fast. Never before had he just wanted to go home and hide.

As Alec walked he paid no attention to anything around, for a change too consumed with his own personal dramas. Had he been paying attention then he would have noticed Mole who was heading home himself after getting involved in a long game of poker with some X5's. Mole stopped and just watched Alec from a distance. _Well, what do we have here? Pretty boy only just heading home now, and from the look of it he isn't very happy. Wonder what the hell is going on with him and Max. Those two have been acting stranger than normally all evening._

It was at that moment that Max chose to walk outside. She didn't notice Mole either. Too consumed by guilt and anger at herself she jumped on her ninja and took off for a ride. Mole however noticed her. And he also noticed that her hair was a mess, her face flushed and that she was looking very pissed off. _Perhaps they have come to blows? If it isn't that then they probably finally had angry hate sex and hate each other even more. _Mole chuckled to himself and headed home, too tired to think about the drama that was Alec and Max.

With her ninja powering along Max decided to just ride around for a while. She wasn't tired and still didn't sleep all that often or much, lucky these days to sleep a couple times of a week. The feeling of the air on her face still managed to help clear her head and make things feel better. It had been a while since she had gone for a ride without Alec at her side. And she missed him. That bothered her. _Since when did he become someone I missed? OC, Josh, Zach, Ben and the rest of my family should be who I miss. How did he worm himself in without me noticing? _

With her head feeling slightly clearer after a couple of hours, Max decided to head home for a shower and to get ready to go to Josh's place for breakfast. Still distracted though, she didn't notice that Alec was sitting on her couch when she went inside stripping her clothes off as she walked into her bedroom.

Alec had known she would go for a ride. He had also known that if it was more than an hour then she didn't mean what she said and maybe just maybe he still had a shot at something. He wondered how he had gotten so good at reading Max and the quirkiness of her mind. He didn't actually know why he was sitting there. He had been home, had a shower and then it was way too early to go to Josh's and somehow he had ended up lounging on Max's couch watching Battlestar Galactica reruns on the Sci-Fi channel. He turned the TV off when he'd heard her ninja pull up outside. Didn't want to be caught watching her TV. She already thought he had an addiction.

Now that he was here and she was back and the shower was running and she was most definitely in there and very naked he wasn't sure what he was here for. To talk or was he there for something else?


	6. Just Get it Together

Chapter Six

Alec sat staring at Max's bathroom door for quite a while, trying desperately to make the right decision. In the end he pulled what he was going to call a Max job and left. He just wasn't sure of the reaction he was going to get and considering the past 8 hours of life altering weirdness he just wasn't up for any drama. Realising that it was now almost 8 and well he was pretty hungry, he decided to head over to Joshua's.

Max luxuriated under the hot water for far longer than she should have, but it was such a novelty to have hot water that didn't last for only 20 seconds that she just couldn't bring herself to get out. Plus her body was sore after all the previous night's escapades so she gave herself permission to stay in there. She thought she could sense Alec but when he didn't materialise through the door she wondered if she had been mistaken. _Why would he have come and then not come in, I must have imagined it. My senses must be slipping. Maybe I just wanted him to be here, to join me in the shower. _She got out of the shower and went into her room to get dressed.

All things considered Max was in a fantastic mood. Sure Logan was totally creeping her out by wanting to get in contact with her, and Alec may or may not be speaking to her but she felt more alive than she ever had. _Who knew that Alec was the key to life? I feel like a new woman._ She threw some clothes on, not even realizing that the jumper was Alec's and headed over to Joshua's because she was starving and hoped Alec would not be there yet. She wasn't quite ready to face him.

Alec's average mood dissipated as he walked. He started to feel pissed off with Max. It was her fault he felt off kilter. He should feel great after a night of brilliant sex and a couple of hours of the good old boob tube, but instead he felt deflated and unbalanced. Why, he didn't know. He got to Josh's and walked in as always not knocking. It smelt of paint and there was a faint aroma of Mac and cheese. "Big guy, are you up?" Alec called out as he couldn't see or hear Josh anywhere.

"Medium Fella!" Josh appeared from behind an easel, paintbrush in hand. "Where's Little Fella?" He looked disappointed.

"She should be here soon. Probably having one of her long showers or something, you know women." Starting to feel a fraction flushed in the face, Alec made a mental note _Do not under any circumstances think about Max in the shower. Do not think about Max without clothes on. Maybe just don't think about Max. _

Not 30 seconds after he spoke, Max walked in, hair still wet, wearing his clothes. "Hey Josh, I'm here" She spoke without noticing that Alec was standing just to her left.

"Good. Both Fella's here. I will get fruit loops. Big bowls?" Alec and Max both nodded both not trusting themselves to speak without sounding odd.

Josh turned into his kitchen, closing the door behind him. Alec was the first to speak even if it was in a very grumpy whisper. "That is my top Max. What are you doing wearing it? And why didn't you at least dry your hair and well, I think it best if we eat and then you leave." Her hair looked so sexy all wet and it wasn't helping Alec's cause. He felt snappish and way off kilter.

Snapping right back at him "What are you my Dad now? Who are you to tell me that I can't go out with wet hair? And as for this top, well" She paused, looking at him carefully _Fuck he's in a pissy mood. _"I didn't even notice it was yours. And I'm not going anywhere, if you're so uncomfortable being around me, maybe you should just leave." Eyeing him even closer she realised he had bags under his eyes and that he was looking pretty damn tired. "What didn't you sleep at all?_" _Her tone had softened to one which she normally didn't use around him ever but he didn't notice.

"No Max, I didn't get any frakin sleep" He was tired and grumpy and her seemingly good mood was annoying him. Why wasn't she just a little bit put out that they had seemingly ruined their friendship "How can one sleep when they have so much frakin shit going on in their head? Huh, tell me oh smart one, how was I possibly going to get any after we had possibly the best se-"

"All ready" Unknowingly interrupting, Josh came back in eyeing them suspiciously. "Everything okay?"

"Super" Max answered smiling at Josh. In her mind though she continued _Well apart from Alec going all girl on me and obviously having a tizzy fit because I didn't get down on one knee and propose fucking marriage. If you don't count that everything is great. Anyone would think he was in love with me the way he is acting. And that is just not possible. Alec loves nobody except himself._

The three friends sat in silence eating their breakfast. Alec wasn't talking because he was just too angry with Max to speak. He couldn't fathom how she could have walked in smiling when he felt like the world was ending. Max was usually the guilty and grumpy queen. Why was she not miserable? He wasn't sure what pissed him off more, Max not being unhappy or the fact that he was. It was almost like a complete role reversal.

Max was silent because if she spoke she might just ask Alec what was wrong and she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear the answer because Alec was often too startlingly honest and might just tell her what she was afraid to hear. Normally she would have been the one all off balance but riding her motorcycle for a few hours seemed to have shaken off cobwebs she hadn't known were there.

Instead of feeling guilty about sleeping with Alec, she actually felt like it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Sure she wasn't sure what her feelings for him were, but there was time enough to work that out. _Maybe I've matured over the last couple of years_. She almost chuckled out loud she was so happy with herself.

Josh was too scared to speak as he could tell that his two favourite people were evidently fighting and he hated when they fought around him. He definitely knew something was off with them. Max seemed almost giddy and Alec was just downright sullen. If Josh didn't know better he would almost think that Mole had been right last night about these two getting busy.

It didn't take long for breakfast to be eaten. Josh, who hated any kind of tension and especially hated being in the middle of their fights, suddenly said "Okay, you need to go home or to work now, Joshua painting today"

Max and Alec both said "Okay" and were shocked at Josh ushering them out the door.

Silently, but side by side they started walking towards the Transgenic council office building.

As they walked they both thought about the last few hours and everything that had been said. Neither one was talking yet as they arrived and walked inside. There were a few heads already working away so they separated greeting people and catching up on any news. After a little while they were both sitting in the office they shared.

Alec was finding it uncomfortable because 5 hours earlier they had been naked and having sex in there. It was making him horny all over again. He couldn't even look at Max. So instead he just leaned back, put his feet up, closed his eyes and thought about Logan. Wondering what he could possibly want. There had to be some kind of motive behind him seeking Max out.

All Alec knew was that, if Logan put Max in any danger he would possibly strangle the life out of him, and he would enjoy it. His mood started to improve as he considered all the ways he could kill him, making it fun for himself. Maybe getting Max to touch him would be the funniest considering the virus was still there and she hadn't worried about getting rid of it.

Max was thinking too. Only her thoughts were as far from Logan as one could get. She had never imagined jumping up and grabbing Logan throwing him on the desk and climbing on board. But that is what she was considering with Alec. Hot steamy desk sex with Alec. _Just get it together Max, more sex will only make it more uncomfortable. Alec is obviously freaking out enough. _She threw a quick glance in his direction, but he didn't look as fazed as earlier, in fact he looked like he was indulging in some very satisfactory imaginings if the huge grin on his face was anything to go by.

It was Max who spoke first, when after replaying their earlier conversations through her head she realized that Alec had said frakin again. He must have been watching Battlestar Galactica again. And Josh didn't have a TV and she knew Alec didn't because his was at her place. "Alec, where did you watch TV?" She had been trying really hard to help him battle his TV addiction.

It got really bad at one stage when Alec was watching hour upon hour of old TV shows and then when he wasn't watching he was talking about them. He couldn't decide which show he liked more, and at one stage Max had thought she would end up screaming if she had to hear about the relationships of Starbuck, Apollo, Dean, Sam, Buffy, Faith, Blair, Serena or any other of the myriad of characters Alec appeared to be in love with. It was like he sometimes thought they were real people instead of characters on defunct old shows. At first, when he had first started talking about some of the characters Mac thought they must have been just another transgenic that she just hadn't met yet. It had been Alec's decision to give up the TV when he realized that he was talking far too much like and about the characters on TV shows.

Alec's eyes widened. He'd been sprung. He'd said frak instead of fuck "I haven't been watching anything. Don't have a TV anymore, remember." He hoped she wouldn't look too closely and notice he was lying. He could just about lie to anyone else, except her.

"Mmm. Really, so I bet if I go home and check the TV it will still be on the channel I was watching last?" Max couldn't even remember what it was but she knew it wouldn't be Sci-Fi and she had a feeling that it would be that. She knew she had been right when she thought he had been at her place earlier. But he had been there to watch TV. Now she wasn't sure what pissed her off more, him watching TV when he was going through what he himself called 'TV Rehab' or that he had gone to her place to watch TV not to see her.

As Max starting walking over to the door Alec jumped up to stop her grabbing at her and pulling her towards him. He had done so with a little too much force causing her to crash into him pushing him backwards onto the desk, Max landing on top of him. Their faces mere inches apart.

_Wow, he just put us in the position I have been thinking about. Maybe God is trying to tell me something? Maybe I should just go for it, even if I am angry at him. _Max looked into Alec's eyes and just stared.

As Max contemplated closing the space between them Alec held his breath. _I will just lay here and let her decide. Make it Maxie's choice._


	7. Not Like That

As Max slowly closed the distance between their mouths, Alec's hands grew a life of their own and were tangled in her hair before he knew he had done it. The magnetic pull that they were both feeling made them feel like they were on a planet all of their own. It was different to the kisses from the night before, there was gentleness and it was almost like they were kissing for the first time.

A knock on the office door shook them out of the haze and put a giant fizzer on things pretty quickly. _This had better be fucking good_ was the only thing going through both their heads. Max stood up and smoothed down her hair. Pulling Alec up she noticed just how much of an effect their kiss had on him. Her voice came out a whisper "Alec, I think it's pretty obvious we need to talk about everything, but it'll have to be later" She then said loudly "Come in" just as Alec sat uncomfortably in his chair.

It was Mole who walked in. "Madam President's slaves called. She needs a rep to go to Washington for up to a few weeks, to finalise the last few laws. Told her we would let her know in by later today as to whom would be showing their face, and apparently she isn't fussed who shows up." He looked at both his transgenic friends. Something was clearly up and he had a pretty good feeling that whatever it was, it was big because Alec was particularly looking a mess but both Alec and Max looked dazed and confused.

"Put it first on the agenda for the today's meeting, ask for a volunteer first. Is everyone here?" They had a pretty relaxed atmosphere and seeing as how everyone had lived with strict regimented rules all their lives, it made things much happier. Max liked it that way.

"Yeah, except Josh, but apparently he's painting today." Mole responded. Mole wasn't quite sure exactly what Josh seen in painting, because quite personally, he preferred polishing guns himself.

Alec snorted remembering how Josh had ushered them out of his apartment earlier. Max and Mole both looked over at him, and Alec smirked at Max's raised eyebrow. He almost fell off of his chair when she mouthed "Oinky" at him.

Max turned back to Mole and said "Okay, get everyone organized, we will meet in 15. Washington, Logan and the new healthcare set up is today's main topics. Anything else that is urgent?"

"Nah, but I would like to get some more of those guns, the really good ones that Pretty Boy over there got from the Russians last year, you know, back before they wanted to kill you two." Mole paused for effect, he loved stirring Alec up.

Alec grunted "They will more likely kill us with them than sell them to us. They don't really see the awesomeness that we got going on. Although maybe, just maybe I could steal them for you, or next time your girlfriend Hilary calls you could ask her to supply us with some top notch arms, that is after you are done flirting an all." Alec loved rousing right back.

Max rolled her eyes. "I'll see if we can order some more ammunition and weaponry. Don't count on it though Mole. Justifying more weapons isn't easy, and they don't even know the full extent of our stash."

Mole started to leave before turning back around "Oh, and Gem isn't here either. Doctors or something. She took her rugrat so maybe it was for her. Apparently she will be back a bit later." With that Mole turned and walked out whistling to himself and leaving an aroma of cigar smoke in his wake.

Max went back to her desk, thinking about how close she and Alec had come to once again getting busy. She knew they definitely needed to talk but didn't know what to say. Then once again she started thinking about getting Alec's pants off, laying him on the desk and jumping on top. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander.

Alec was never one to shy away from conversation. In fact he was always the first to talk so his uncharacteristic silence was a little unnerving. He swallowed and looked at Max, wondering what the hell she was day dreaming about now. Her face looked positively sinful with the look on it, and it most definitely wasn't helping his cause.

What puzzled Alec was that Max was not acting at all like she had when she was on/off with Rollerboy. She seemed almost too accepting of the previous nights occurrences, almost like she had really wanted it, was happy it happened and wanted more than what they had been. He was pretty sure she didn't love him, because if she did she would undoubtedly start saying things like "we aren't like that", and "there is nothing going on" and go into denial anyway.

Adding to his confusion was his own feelings. He felt something for her that was undeniable. But he needed time to work out whatever this was. He decided to speak and get it out of the way.

"Max, yes I went to your place to watch TV, I needed something to get my mind of what happened I was a little freaked out and TV really relaxes me. I knew you would be out riding around and I couldn't sleep. It obviously didn't help." He starting chuckling "Maybe I am cured from the TV addiction" he added as a joke to try to keep things a little bit light.

"I don't know what in the hell is going on between us here Maxie, but to be honest I always thought that we would end up having really great hate sex, or heat sex, not mega fantastic drunk sex. And then completely sober couldn't help ourselves sex. I also never expected for that sex to completely throw my world off its axis. I am not sure that I can ever go back to the way things were. And while I am being brutally honest here Max, I don't even know that I want to go back. But I am still not sure what I want here between us" He wasn't looking at her because he knew he wouldn't be able to be honest if he looked at her and he knew he wouldn't say what he wanted to do. "If no one else volunteers to go to Washington, I'll go. I think we could do with some space. Give us some time to work out what we want and need." And then he left the office to get ready for the meeting.

Max watched his back as he walked towards their meeting room. She hadn't expected any of what he said. She had forgotten about the TV thing, she didn't really care. If he wanted to watch TV flat out then that was his thing. What she cared about was that he always thought that they would have some kind of sex, he was obviously as confused as she was and now he wanted to get away from her. Blinking back tears she hadn't expected to appear, she picked up the phone and called Cindy.

Getting Cindy's voicemail she left a message to meet her at Crash later. A session with Cindy was just what she needed. Cindy would listen and give her the kind of advice that would help. It had been Cindy who had encouraged her just recently to maybe think about what she wanted as far as Alec was concerned.

Cindy had set her straight after they had almost let her heat get on top of them that maybe subconsciously they had wanted an excuse to have sex with each other. Max had of course given her a bit of "But we're not like that" which had made Max herself realise that maybe just maybe they were, or could be.

Getting her stuff for the meeting she left the office hoping to hell someone else volunteered to go, because she needed Alec to stay. They wouldn't work things out if he didn't stay. And she needed to work things out with him, for the first time in a long time she kind of felt hopefulness at the possibility of a relationship.

As all the team gathered for their meeting, across town, Gem walked into the rooms of the new Doctor she was seeing. It was a novel experience for her to be seeing a Doctor fully paid for by the Government. She had suspected that she was pregnant for a few days, the result of her relationship with another X5 Drew. They had been together for about a year and he was a great father to her little daughter, Ruby. They were excited at the thought of bringing life into a free new world.

After checking in with the receptionist, Gem was very surprised to see Logan Cale sitting in the waiting area holding hands with a woman who looked remarkably similar to Max.

Gem sat so that he couldn't see her, so that she could study them. The woman was obviously his wife judging from the wedding rings they both wore, that didn't shock her. What shocked Gem was the very obvious similarities between the wife and Max.

Everything was parallel, the long dark hair, dark eyes, petite frame, even the skin tone was similar. The wife was not as genetically perfect looking as Max, but from behind, Gem suspected that it would be hard to tell them apart.

Taking in as much as her superior brain allowed, Gem sat quietly waiting to hear her name, so she could report back to Max and the rest of the team. It wasn't long before she heard 'Natalie Cale' called in.

Waiting until Logan and the wife were safely out of sight, Gem pulled out her phone and dialled Alec's number. She was dreading telling him, she knew he would find the whole matching wife thing a bit sick and well, it was a bit obvious he and Max had the whole best friends who haven't worked out they are in love thing going on. He would probably get a bit protective and freak out.

When Alec's phone started vibrating on the table he felt rather than saw the glares which he was receiving. The meeting had just started and he was kind of avoiding Max's gaze so he wasn't looking at anyone. He picked it up and looked at the caller id. "It's Gem" He announced before answering. He felt the hairs on his neck stand up. She would only call if something was up.

"Gem, what's happening?" He answered like there was nothing worrying him. All eyes in the room were on him, everyone knew Gem would only call for a good reason.

"Alec, I am at the Doctors, you know the fancy schmancy new one, and I just saw Robolegs walking remarkably well without that ridiculous contraption, but that isn't the big surprise." She paused, knowing that the Max lookalike would bother Alec more than anyone. "He also had his wife in tow. Well technically she had him in tow, because they were here for her and well, it's a bit creepy really." She stopped talking for a second.

"Well, what that he is married or what is she hideously ugly?" Alec looked up at the interest peaking around the room. Everyone in the room was hearing one side of a conversation and most of them were naturally curious, thanks to the cat DNA.

"Well, that is the creepy part Alec, she looks a bit like Max" She waited for the response just knowing that it wouldn't be good.

"I'm sorry Gem, can you repeat what you just said? I thought you just said that Logan Cale's wife looks like Max." Alec could feel the stunned shock around the room, particularly Max's. He actually felt angry rather than shocked. _Of Course she looks like Max_, he thought, _the man is fucking obsessed after all._

"Alec, they could be almost fucking twins, except she isn't quite as perfect looking you know, nose is a bit crooked, eyes not quite as big, maybe a bit squinty, lips not as full but from behind you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. Her name is Natalie, I don't know what surprised me more, the fact that he is married or that she looks like Max, I mean, obsessed much?" Gem was relieved that the conversation wasn't going as bad as she thought.

"Thanks for letting me know, I'll tell everyone." He wasn't quite sure what to say. "And Gem, if you see anything else of importance, let us know. See you when you get back. Have fun" He hung up and looked straight at Max, who was looking at him with strange look on her face, kind of like she was worried about him and his reaction, not the Logan situation.

With all eyes on him, Alec just shrugged and thought about what he was going to say.


	8. Claimed

Alec looked around the room and sighed. He wished that the reason for the curiosity was concern for what Logan might do but the feline DNA was responsible and he mentally cursed Manticore and the animal inside.

"So it appears Logan Cale is married. And his little woman, it appears, is Maxie's lookalike. Maybe we don't need to be so concerned about him getting his clutches on Max now. Shall we get back to the meeting?" Alec was feeling a little self conscious with all eyes on him, almost like everyone was expecting a different reaction. Joking was Alec way of keeping himself calm.

"Did Gem say anything else?" Max's voice was clear and most definitely unconcerned.

"Only that Logan's wife is not as hot as you and that she thinks Logan is possibly obsessed." He shrugged his shoulders. They felt tense as did the rest of him. "Shall we discuss Washington?" He needed to change the subject. Thinking about Logan and his wife was making him feel antsy and he knew that little visit he had been thinking about taking over to the 'nice' part of Seattle was now high on his priority list.

Alec tuned out while Mole talked about someone being requested by the President to assist with the finalisation of what was being called 'The Bill of Freedom'. He actually paid no attention at all. All consumed by thoughts of Logan being married to a woman, who could only pale in comparison to his Maxie. _Shit, when did I start to think of her as my Maxie? So much for not thinking about Logan._

He risked a glance at Max taking in the striking features. It was only when he was looking at her unobserved that he noticed the bite mark on her neck. _Holy fuck, I bit her neck. I claimed her and I didn't realise and neither did she. Maxie is going to kill me when she sees that. _He looked away, suddenly staring out the window. It didn't even occur to him that she might have done it to him first or at all.

Max was watching Alec out of the corner of her eye. Something was going on inside that crazy head of his and she was a little bit worried. She knew he wasn't paying attention or he would have already volunteered himself, like he had stated in their office. Max was half listening and half focusing on Alec. She almost jumped for joy when Nat and Jake, two X5's who she suspected were mated volunteered to go together. They wanted an excuse to have kinky hotel sex and said as much, totally unashamed at saying it to the occupants of the room.

"Well, that's great. Mole will get superdouche USA to get everything organized. And I think we just keep an eye and ear out where Logan is concerned. I am seriously quite capable of watching out for myself and Alec has my back so I really think if we stick to the way we have been going, everything will be fine" Max wanted to confirm before they could back out or Alec could put himself forward. "Keep Lexi on it at her end putting the blocks in and we'll deal with anything else as it happens"

Mole nodded as Max declared "OK meeting over" And Max was out of there before anyone could speak. Retreating to the comfort of their shared office, she felt the need to be away from the curious eyes which she had felt looking at her.

Mole was chuckling to himself at Max's abrupt departure and almost fell off his chair when he heard Jake ask his mate "Did you get a load of the dirty big bite mark on her neck? Looked pretty fresh, wonder who did it"

"Dunno, I think Alec must have, I mean he is super spacey today and did you notice she is even sounding like him, I mean superdouche? That is so not a Max word" Nat answered as they left the meeting room.

Alec hadn't even noticed that everyone was leaving. That was until he suddenly felt that Max was gone. Looking around he was shocked to realize that it was just himself and Mole.

"So, what's going on with you and Her Royal Bitchyness? Have a fight? Or did you finally give her the bedroom lesson you have been threatening her with the last couple of years" Mole was curious. In fact he was almost itching to be the first to get the goss. He loved knowing everything that was going on first.

"I am so not telling you a thing you big old green gossip queen. Because there is nothing to tell. Busy is all." Alec looked at the door "Where did everyone go?"

"Well little Princess, Max is in your office, I am here, Nat and Jake I assume on their way home to pack for Washington, you are here, Dix is probably sitting at his computer, Josh is painting, AJ is probably sitting at his desk looking at porn on the net and Gem is at the Doctors as you know. That about tell you what you needed to know" Mole was finding Alec amusing today. It wasn't often that he got to get away with being a smart aleck, because well Alec by name and aleck by nature. No one else usually got much of a look in.

"Thanks Scaly face. I meant how did everyone get out of here without me noticing?" He frowned "you know what, never mind. When she asks, can you tell Max I have gone out for a while. Don't tell her where but I am going to pay Rollerboy a visit. If I am not back or haven't checked in by tonight come looking" He left before Mole could say anything. He wasn't being talked out of it. Someone needed to warn Logan off his girl and who better than himself?

Max sat in the office waiting for Alec to come in. Not that she knew what was going to happen when he did. After a few minutes she felt a small amount of frustration because he still wasn't there. Then she remembered that she was supposed to talk about the new healthcare set up. _Damn, will have to bring it up next time._

Deciding to make a quick toilet stop and catch up on some day to day business she left the office her eyes surrounding the room for Alec. _Hmm, not here, where in the hell is he?_ Making small talk with some of the transgenics who made up the day to day operations she was feeling really anxious it was made all the more worse because everyone was looking at her strangely. _What the hell is going on here today? Maybe I've got something on my face?_

It was upon looking in the mirror that Max realised just what everyone was looking at. Alec had bloody well bitten her neck claiming her as his. She had a bruise and a very obvious and noticeable teeth imprint. While in one sense she was pissed off, in another she was decidedly happy about it. _Great, he might as well have told everyone we had sex. No wonder I can't keep my hands off him. Now he's claimed me and I can't even pretend I'm pissed about that. I knew something was there, felt it months ago, but him claiming me while totally inebriated isn't exactly what I had in mind._

Smiling while fingering the mark she was slightly aware of a strange sensation going through her. _So that's what everyone talks about. The mark does have some kind of strange effects. _Continuing to look and finger the mark a thought occurred to her. _Did I bite him too? Think Max, think. _Racking her brain, Max really couldn't remember. He must have done it to her under the influence because she didn't remember it being done to her at all. So much of the first part of the evening was a blur.

Redoing the rounds on her way back to her office she spied Mole whispering with Dix. "Mole, where did Alec go?" Her voice sounded normal, even if she felt nothing but. She needed to find him, talk, shout, and maybe if he played his cards right, and apologized, she would let him sleep with her again. _Get your mind out of the gutter Max, you are seriously sounding like Alec._

"Gone out, didn't say where, just said he'd call later" Mole wasn't a liar by nature but he knew if Alec had told Max that he was going to see Logan she would have hit the roof and stuck to him like glue so he couldn't go. Max had appeared pretty adamant that they should ignore Logan and just act like he wasn't hanging around fishing in her business.

Max's eyes couldn't hide the seething rage she was indeed feeling. Now she was in a foul mood. She stormed back to her and Alec's office before slamming the door closed. She just knew that he had gone to either speak to or scope out Logan.

Everyone looked around with raised eyebrows and it was Mole who made the statement "Looks like the bitch is back"

All day she couldn't concentrate. Her mind flashed through different scenarios. Had Alec gone because of her? Had he really gone to see Logan? What the hell was he doing?

Calling his switched off mobile randomly and getting annoyed that it was still off, she resorted to slamming things around the office and cursing. Every hour or so she would go back out and ask the same question "Heard from Pretty boy yet?" All day it was the same answer "No"

In the pit of her stomach Max had a really bad feeling. She couldn't put her finger on why she felt the way she did but it was there.

By the time Max got to Crash later that evening, she was not only livid but a little troubled as no one had heard from Alec all day. Looking around she spotted Cindy and Sketchy at a table talking.

Sketchy looked up. "Hey Max is here. And she isn't looking too happy"

OC turned and smiled at her girl. "Boo. OC is so happy to see you. I got ya message and came straight here"

Smiling despite how she felt, Max hugged OC and high fived Sketch. "Can we get a drink and go talk. No offense Sketch, just need to have some girl talk." Max hoped that Sketchy wouldn't be offended.

"Go for it girls, I spy some fine honeys over there just waiting for some of my attention" And he was off, to be undoubtedly rejected yet again.

"So Sugah, what's happenin? You don't look so good" OC was a bit concerned. She hadn't seen Max looking so troubled in a long while.

Max didn't know exactly what to say. So she just blurted out "I had sex with Alec last night, multiple times. And I loved it." Saying out loud to someone else made it seem more real, like it wasn't an illusion.

OC couldn't hide her shock or delight at what Max had just said. "About time Boo. So how come you two aint at it now. What happened?" She knew that one or both had so obviously freaked out.

"Because Alec fucking disappeared all day and that was after he freaked out on me. I mean" She paused not quite sure what to say. "I initially stuffed up and said it shouldn't happen again but that's because I thought he wouldn't want it happening again. But then I went for a ride and really thought about everything and well, I think you were right when you said we must feel something or we wouldn't have let me get almost to the point of no return with my heat if we didn't feel nothing."

OC just looked at Max. She was desperate to say that it was obvious that Max and Alec loved and were in love but she wasn't sure if either had realized that fact yet.

"What do you mean your boy disappeared?" OC had seen Alec in the early hours of the afternoon and he had told her that he was going to see Logan.

"Well, we kissed in our office before Mole so rudely interrupted. Then he told me that he didn't want things to be how they were before last night and then he said he didn't know what he wanted. Then we had our meeting. Gem called during it because she seen Logan and his wife"

"Wife? Logan is married. Well I never woulda thought any one would marry his white ass, no offence Max" OC interrupted.

"Yeah, married can you believe it? Apparently she looks like me. That creeps me out a bit. I mean we have been over a while, with the virus an all. Find someone different. Look at Logan and Alec. So different. And none taken OC." Max smiled because really comparing Alec and Logan was like comparing Steak with a cheese sandwich. "anyway, Alec freaked out a bit and left sneakily after the meeting. And I can't get in contact with him and no one has heard from him since and that was at about 11ish" She couldn't hide how worried she was. Her voice was hiding nothing.

OC knew Max wasn't going to be happy but spoke anyway. "I saw your boy today"

Max's head snapped back to OC and she demanded "Tell me what you know"

**Thanks for the reviews!! Please feel free to tell me what you think.**


	9. What a Day

Chapter Nine

Alec hadn't had a great day. But it hadn't been a bad day either. He got to finally have sex with Max and that was fantastic, discovered that Logan is still a major douche and actually managed to sort out some of the drama with his old friends in the Russian mafia. The Italian and Chinese were probably still after them but at least the Russians were off his back.

He knew marginally more than he had that morning and was desperate to have a drink and play some pool. Getting to Crash and beating Sketch at pool was looking good. He wasn't sure if Max would be there, he was too fearful to check his phone for he hated being on the receiving end of Maxie's wrath and being incommunicado was a big no no these days. And he knew that he had been a very bad boy as far as that went.

As he navigated his way to Crash he started thinking. He thought about the night before, remembering bits and pieces that he hadn't had a chance to think about all day. Max had taken him up on his offer, an offer he constantly made, almost daily. Ever hopeful that maybe one day she would give in and say yes, he really hadn't expected it to happen until they were at least 40 and desperate. Well he had hoped but not expected it to actually ever happen. He still wasn't sure where it was going, what was going to happen but he had never been an analyser or an over thinker and it was kind of annoying him that he was doing it now.

He knew Max was the master of waiting until the right time arose, but he was kind of glad that it had happened now. It probably wasn't the ideal time but she never slept with Logan, that he knew for a fact, so realistically it was great that it actually happened at all. The train of thoughts in his mind shifted to Logan.

Logan had proven almost more elusive than Max, the queen of evading herself. _Perhaps he learnt something from her during their 'we're not like that' relationship._ Alec's strange need to find Logan and discover what the hell was going on was bothering him. _Maxie might not be too worried but I just don't trust him. And no one messes with my girl._

Alec's mind drifted to the day's events. He was kind of surprised that he was still awake, having not slept for about 36 or so hours. He wasn't designed to function on no sleep, but he had been running on pure adrenalin, the kind which had made him a great soldier.

Alec had been pretty busy. He had gone to Jam Pony and gotten the business card from OC. She had known something was a bit off but he actually got away with telling her nothing because Normal spotted him and neither had really got a word in after that. And just when they had thought they would be able to chat Normal gave OC a bit of 'bip bip bip' and the conversation went nowhere.

Then he had called Gem to see if she had been able to find out anything else. The only thing she had been able to ascertain was that both she and Natalie Cale would both be seeing the same Doctor and that their next appointments were on the same day in 3 weeks time. But she hadn't seen them leave. It took Alec about 10 seconds to realize that Gem was pregnant and so was the wife. He offered his congratulations and hung up.

The address on the business card was the business address but it was still in the nice part of town. He went there first and tried to see what he could find out.

Security was tight but it was nothing that Alec couldn't get around. In fact he saw many holes in the operation. He spent a fair bit of time wondering around and checking things out. Logan did not appear to grace the office with his presence of course so Alec was unable to see him. He had really enjoyed going through Logan's office and hacking his computer. He even managed to get into the personnel files and get Logan's address.

Leaving the spectacularly Pulse unaffected offices of Cale Industries he almost had his day turn to shit. He just happened to run into an old contact who was involved in the Russian mafia. Needless to say that run in went well, not. Alec hated having to break bones to save his own skin but that's what he had to do.

Normally he would never have been snuck up on. Or so distracted that it was too late to draw his weapon. Hand to hand combat was something he preferred to steer clear of lately. Explaining bruises to Max was not exactly high on his list of favourite things to do and seeing as how the Russians always went for the face he had had to break the noses of 4 thugs pretty quickly to get himself free.

It wasn't all bad though. He had managed to find out that the Russians knew that Logan was back in town. They had done some investigating of their own and knew exactly who was responsible for trying to bring them down. It was quite amusing to discover that the Russians were now trying to gain access to the very same building he had secretly and expertly just snooped around in.

He just stood there with his eyebrow raised when one of the thugs actually apologized for the attempted kidnapping months earlier and for trying to kill him and Max several times.

He had actually managed to find the hilarity in the Russian mafia apologizing because they had taken the info White had released as gospel. Who would have thought, the media release was not correct? He shot the breeze with them for a little while putting the feelers out for acquiring the weapons Mole was after. He even made some loose plans to catch up at the Blowfish Tavern sometime soon. Things were looking up in one respect. Having the Russians gunning for them had been a real pain in his ass. He felt quite devilish in that they apologized to him but he didn't for the nasal breakages he seemingly just got away with.

After leaving his refound friends he headed over to Logan's house to scope it out. It was a very nice house. Immaculate gardens surrounded a stunning mansion. It was a real step up from his penthouse and a definite change from Sandeman's.

Alec thanked his lucky stars that Logan was still stupid enough to have minimal idiotic security and that he was able to get up close and have a look inside the windows.

He found the wife quickly. And Gem was right. To some, especially the non transgenic eye, it would be really difficult to tell them apart. But Alec immediately knew that it wasn't Max. The clothing was a big clue. Max wouldn't have been caught dead in the pastel designer clothes that Natalie Cale was wearing. Her hair was also done in a style that Max would have described as dowdy or school teacherish. She looked the part of a rich wife.

Mesmerized, he watched her while she flicked through a magazine and then drank tea. Alec chuckled to himself at the thought of Max doing what the woman in front of him was doing. Never could he imagine Max lounging around and wasting time on something so trivial. Watching her made him glad that Logan had really fucked up and that Max never got the chance to experience life as his wife. She just might have gone crazy with the kind of lifestyle that Logan appeared to enjoy. It was a real change from the days when Logan tried to pretend he was a down trodden victim of society.

After waiting a while to see if Logan would grace her with his presence, which he didn't, Alec decided to look around some more and see if he could find Logan.

Looking into a myriad of windows he finally found him in what looked like a study or office. What surprised Alec was the open bottle of pre pulse scotch sitting on the table. Glancing at his watch he saw it was only 3 in the afternoon, and nowhere near the time that the Logan he knew would have ever considered drinking. Alec watched for a long time losing count of the amount of liquor that Logan consumed.

_Interesting, El douche has a little drinking problem. Wonder what could possibly be getting him so down that he needs to drink it away? Good to see he spends time with his Mrs. Wonder why he's locking himself in here and she is out there. Why hasn't his wife been into see him?_ And then suddenly she was there and Logan had hidden the scotch.

Their conversation seemed stilted and completely un natural, nothing like what he himself had with Max, even Logan had seemed more normal with Max. Alec couldn't put his finger on it but something was very off with Logan and Natalie Cale.

Alec hung around watching, waiting for what he wasn't sure. He had been conducting surveillance for several hours and before he knew it, it was dark out suddenly. And besides Logan's apparent love for scotch he hadn't learnt too much.

That's when he left Logan's and headed for Crash calling Mole to check in before jumping on his bike. It was Mole who had informed him that Max had been hell on legs all day, and that he was going to get torn a new one when she found him. She had thumped out of the office a couple of hours earlier and no one had dared ask where she had been headed but she had walked so he couldn't tell if she had then gone out or was somewhere else.

Crash was really busy on this particular night. Alec entered without looking around and got to the bar with ease. He ordered a drink and then his eyes drifted to the left noticing Sketchy playing pool with Asha. He was glad to see her, it had been a while. Picking up the glass he headed over to his friends not aware of Max sitting with OC.

OC had just explained that she had seen Alec for all of 5 minutes and really only given him Logan's business card when Max looked to her right and interrupted.

"Well looky here what the cat dragged in. He is so dead" Her eyes had darkened and narrowed, and OC couldn't decide if it was anger or desire that was on Max's face.

"Boo, slow down. Get yourself calm before you go over there and damage his pretty face" OC decided that it was probably both as Max stood and stalked her way over to the pool table.

The hairs on the back of Alec's neck were suddenly standing on end. He felt a sudden rush of blood to his groin. And it wasn't pleasant to be looking at Sketchy when that happened. But he knew without a doubt that Max was somewhere nearby. He could smell her.

Whipping his neck around behind he came face to face with Max, who was looking angry but so damn hot.

"Where the hell have you been all day?" The words came out harshly strangely portraying just how concerned she had been. Sketchy and Asha chose that moment to join OC and get out of the line of fire.

Moving exceedingly close to her he answered "Just had some things to do is all. Why did you miss me _babycakes_?" He always fell back on flirting, usually it threw her off balance giving him some kind of edge on the conversation. He had to take any advantage he could, dealing with Max who was just as intelligent as himself could be exhausting.

"You wish _Sweetcakes_." Max was looking at him with such an intensity that Alec almost wished the floor would open him and swallow him whole. "Did you ever think there were things happening that as co leader you should have been around to deal with? You do have responsibilities Alec."

"What the fuck happened now? Don't tell me something went wrong today" Alec groaned. _Great, I slink off to do something about protecting her and us and some ass twat fucks up and puts me back in her and everyone elses bad books_.

"Actually not much, but I did get a really random fax telling me that the Russians have something to sell us if we are interested. And that only 3of 4 were broken whatever the hell that means? That is kinda strange now that I come to think about it. Thought they were kinda still after us?" Her ever expressive face was asking a thousand questions and they were all something along the lines of what did you do?

Alec just shrugged and looked at her all the while thinking _is it bad that her giving me that confused but still angry face is turning me on?_

Knowing it was only a matter of time before she found out that he had seemingly sorted shit out with the Russians he blurted "I ran into some of the Russian hoods today and well, they aren't as pissed at us as they used to be. They are more pissed at Logan now that he is back. And our cash is just as green as the next persons. So I think that they will deal with us again"

Max hadn't quite heard what he just said. She was very distracted by Alec's lips, and memories of just what they could do. Her face suddenly looked flush and her eyes darkened. Licking her lips she whispered "I think we should take this out the back, out of public hearing"

Alec nodded and they headed for the back door.

Observing from across the room it was actually Sketchy who spoke first "So, looks like Alec is not gonna be my wingman anymore. I think he actually is wearing a new thumb print on his forehead"

"That remains to be seen fool. But anything is possible" OC hoped that whatever was going on was not going to end in bloodshed as she watched them head out the back into the alley.


	10. Dejavu

Thanks for the reviews. Hopefully the next update wont take quite as long as this one.

Chapter 10 Dejavu

Walking to the rear of the building and then outside, Alec felt his body come alive with anticipation. Just knowing what was probably going to happen excited him more than he had ever thought possible. He felt like a horny teenager who was going to have sex with the hottest chick at school. Like in that movie he and Max had watched a couple of months before. Only he had some semblance of control over his body. Being genetically engineered did have some advantages.

Max felt like she could just about spontaneously combust she was that wired. She was pissed beyond belief with him, but so flipping happy that he hadn't got himself into trouble.

The very second that Max and Alec were outside their lips were together. It really was no different from the previous night, aside from the noticeable lack of alcohol consumption; the fireworks were going off for both of them again.

Deciding that he needed to take charge and get the upper hand Alec grabbed Max and lifted her so that her legs went around his waist as he pushed her up against a wall. The moan that escaped Max did not go unnoticed and it almost tipped him over the edge. _God I haven't even touched her yet and I feel like a randy little teenager. Pull it together Alec, focus, make it good and make it last for as long as you can. You can do it. You are a soldier goddamn it._

Max had thoughts of her own running through her brain. _Don't think about what this means, for fucks sake do not analyze. Just feel Max, just feel. Make the most of the chance to be with someone you love, it may never happen again._

Clothes were not completely removed because the risk factor of being caught they were this time aware of.

Max's body thrummed. She felt alive. The mark on her neck felt positively electrified. Max looked down at Alec's neck and found the mark she had made on him. Max actually felt weirdly happy. W_ow, we claimed each other and it just happened without any thinking or any of Alec's goddamn talking. Is it wrong that I am happy about it? Stop thinking Max, start feeling, worry about the semantics later. _She decided not to use it to her own advantage. He so obviously hadn't noticed the mark yet and for a change Max felt she had the advantage, knowledge was at least.

The whole claim business had been going on for a little while. Max had made it her business to find out the deal. She felt an intense desire to understand all the craziness that had been going on around them. Alec on the other hand had paid it no mind because he just wasn't interested in a relationship or getting into anything with any of the transgenic women who had so obviously thrown themselves at him. As far as he had been concerned it was a load of rubbish and he was never getting involved with it.

Some had said it was an instinctive thing. That it was the cat in them. Others said it was just a way for the less alpha to have some sort of hold on or control over the other. Mole thought it was a load of crap. Max had listened to it all and just placed all the tidbits of info into her brain for a later date. Apparently the mark would make them both crazy jealous and overly possessive. It also made the sex red hot all the time. What made her happiest was that the sex had been red hot and the claim had happened somewhere along the line, so it wasn't the whole mated thing making it so.

Max could feel her body start to lose control. The second Alec entered her it was like she was no longer in her own body. She wanted him to lose control, to give himself to her just like she was doing to him. She wanted things to be equal, she had no desire she found to dominate, not this time anyway.

So Alec tried to control himself, while Max didn't. Time felt stopped. Bodies felt weightless. Alec looked down and noticed the mark that he had made on Max's neck and the cat in him felt strong and powerful. He moved his mouth down and licked the spot. Max's reaction was so raw and well, sexy that Alec decided to let himself go with it and just do what he would if this was the last time, because it may well be.

Alec was freaking out a bit about the whole claim thing but at the same time thanking his lucky stars Max seemed not to mind, she surely would have noticed but hadn't said anything. He had pretended not to pay any attention to all the information Max had gathered and told him all about. He knew what it meant and how serious it was. He needed to get to a mirror and see if she had claimed him.

The night before had been hot and exciting but the alcohol factor had hazed it somewhat. All Alec remembered clearly was it being scorching, there being lots of skin, lots of touching and then his fucking phone ringing. This time the sensations of skin on skin and lips against lips and Max against Alec were not lost on each other.

He needed to talk about the whole claim deal and Alec tried to speak several times but Max would just murmur "shut up Alec" This wasn't about keeping things the same or normal. It had been so damn long since she had let anyone in. She'd become cold, and well the nickname of ice princess hadn't been entirely inaccurate.

In her mind, as she fell apart in his arms, Max actually said _Oh God, how I love you Alec. _While she had made some progress, getting those words out and said to his face weren't going to be easy.

Alec buried his face into her neck as finally lost control. He wasn't even thinking anymore. All he could do was grip onto her so tight, slightly afraid if he let go, she would run. It had been proven that she was super dooper good at it. She had evaded Lydecker and White for such a long time and he didn't want to be someone she ran from.

They stayed like that for a while. His face buried in her neck, her legs around his waist, her fingers absently rubbing his barcode.

It was the voice of OC that shook them out of the daze they had both wanted to stay in. "Are you two baby boos decent out there?"

"Give us a minute and we'll be back inside." It was Alec that found his voice first.

Releasing her grasp on him so that he could release his on her was possibly the hardest thing Max had done in a while. She didn't want to let him go. But she did. Making sure that they looked presentable took a little longer than a minute. But they did it and went inside still having not spoken, both not wanting to fuck things up like they had the night before.

Max knew she had a tendency to say the opposite of what she really wanted and then talked herself into believing what she said, more so since her recapture and subsequent stay at Manticore. She also knew Alec usually called her on her shit but he wasn't acting exactly like himself so she thought it best to shut up. She, for a change might actually be honest and he might believe it to be bullshit.

Alec on the other hand, was typically honest when it came to the crunch. Yeah, he spun shit with the best of them, but he just couldn't lie to Max, and he had no idea why. He knew that if he spoke he was likely to profess feelings of some description and real feelings were kind of hard for him to acknowledge and deal with. He sometimes joked that he must have missed 'Relationships 101' when Manticore taught that one. Quite a few of his fellow transgenics usually laughed and agreed, Max being one of them.

Just before they joined their friends, Alec was surprised when Max stopped him and spoke. "Kinda feels a little like Dejavu. Sex in an alley and then interrupted by a friend and then acting like nothing happened. You know" And then she smiled at him. A real genuine smile that made his heart constrict in a million different ways. "Maybe next time we really should find a bed"

Now that stunned him. He hadn't allowed himself to think about Max and sex in a bed. Alec wasn't sure if it really could get any better? He could feel her eyes on him and he felt she was really looking at him. And he felt naked and exposed like she could see inside him. He also felt the telltale signs of arousal again and cursed that he would have to sit around with a giant hard on for the second time in a day with Max there but not able to help him out.

Rejoining their friends and trying to keep some sort of semblance of normalcy Alec found very difficult. And he couldn't really understand why.

Max though, felt great again. While she was by no means old, lately she had felt weighed down by responsibility and pressure. Not anymore. _Who knew that fucking Alec would be so healing and good for me? Maybe I should just do it every day?_

The conversation flowed around them and they tried to join in. Alec was too distracted to really join in and wasn't really paying attention. That was until he heard the Logan get mentioned.

"So, did you manage to find him?" Sketchy was oddly curious. He had always thought Logan was a bit of a weirdo. He understood the attraction to Max, she was pretty hot, but he was so old. Secretly Sketchy thought that Alec and Max should get together. They were so picture perfect together and had all that UST.

"Yeah, but I didn't talk to him yet" Alec found his voice.

"And you aren't going to talk to him. We are going to pretend he doesn't exist." Max was making sure that he knew where she stood exactly.

The stare off began. Max had one eyebrow raised with her arms folded against her chest. Alec just leaned on the table looking at her wanting to scream. He had to protect her. What wasn't she getting about this? He couldn't let Logan do anything to hurt her.

"Going to the bathroom" Cindy was making a hasty getaway.

"Me too" Asha was not far behind.

"Think it's my shout for beer" And Sketchy was gone too.

When everyone was gone Max spoke "I'm not going to drop this Alec. You are not to go near him. We agreed to leave Logan this morning, remember?"

After thinking about it for a minute he answered "Nope, I was too distracted to pay much attention this morning. I never agreed to anything" He saw Cindy and Asha coming back "Lets finish this conversation later Max, I am sure there are better things we can talk about right now"

"What should we talk about Alec, how we have had more sex in the last 24 hours than we have had in the last 2 years and how obviously it means something because all I want to do is blow everyone off take you home and fuck you in about 3000 different positions? Something like that?"

"Don't let us stop you from that conversation but perhaps you two would rather keep some things private?" Asha could barely contain the shock at hearing what she had just heard. It wasn't a surprise to hear that they had finally had sex because Lord knows it was a long time coming, it was more that Max had just said she wanted to keep doing it. In all the time she had known her Max was the original Queen of denial.

A jug of beer appeared before them and Sketchy asked "What's private?"

"Nothing Man. Maxie and I are just leaving to talk about all things Logan and transgenic" And with that Alec stood, grabbed Max by the hand and said "See you all soon"

"Um, bye" And she silently and obediently followed. Her face was bright red and the revelation that now more than Cindy knew about the shift in her and Alec's relationship had stunned her into silence.

"So what is really goin on?" Sketchy looked from Cindy to Asha and waited.

"Well Sketch, looks like you finally got something right. Max and Alec seem to have finally gotten it on" Asha couldn't help but smirk.

"Hmm, certainly gonna make things interesting, isn't it? Bet they have gone to do it some more. I know I would be shagging Max whenever and wherever I could if it was me, she is still smokin" Sketchy said no one in particular while looking towards the door that they had just walked out of.

Cindy gave him a whack across the back of his head "You are a damn fool" And she shook her head as they all laughed as they stared after their friends.

Outside as they climbed onto Alec's bike he asked Max a very simple question "Well Maxie, your place or mine?"

"Mine"


	11. Back At Ya

A huge thank you for the reviews. Keep them coming.

I know this was a bit slower than I wanted it to be, hopefully I will get the next chapter out quicker.

Arriving at Max's apartment in record time Alec began to feel slightly panicked. His body was more than ready for some leisurely loving that one can only get lying in a comfortable bed, but his mind was torn in two.

Having sex in the heat of the moment was one thing, but to actually go back to Max's and be knowingly heading there for that express purpose was starting to freak him out. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because it would definitely mean more than sex this time. Having her sit behind him on the bike had just made his traitorous body even worse. He was busting out of his skin to her to her home.

Max had wondering hands he had discovered. He had almost crashed several times and almost pulled over to push her up against yet another wall, down yet another alley. And he doubted she would have stopped him. _Perhaps Maxie is an exhibitionist? Or maybe she likes wall sex? Concentrate on the road Alec_. He had to repeat that mantra in order to safely get them at their destination.

Max had thoroughly enjoyed the ride home. The thrum of an engine between her legs, the feel of Alec's back against her front and the feel of him in her hands. She knew he was fighting hard to control himself on the way home. And she loved that it was her who was having that effect on him.

Walking up the stairs to her apartment they held hands. Fingers entwined, there was no denying for either one of them what was going to happen as soon as they got inside. The electricity flowing was phenomenal. She had wanted to kiss him but knew they wouldn't make it inside. He wanted to kiss her but doubted his ability to make it inside if he started.

They didn't bother with the lights, both able to see fine with the lights off. Max led Alec to her bedroom and pushed him down on the bed.

It was a tender scene. He ran his hand up the inside of her leg while she placed a gentle kiss on his head. He looked up at her and asked a very simple question.

"Are you sure that this, me, is what you want?" Holding his breath for a second he wasn't sure what the answer would be.

"Very sure Alec. I want to do this. We can talk about anything and everything in the morning." She smiled down at him as he placed a kiss on her hip. "I will even cook you breakfast if you play your cards right"

She felt his mouth move into a smile and pushed him so that he was lying on the bed. He watched through hooded dark eyes as Max removed his shoes and then her own. Her hands went to unbutton her jeans but he stopped her.

"I want to do it" And he sat back up pulling her towards him. Every single fantasy he had about Max usually involved him removing her clothes. He wanted to do it just in case their talk went sideways as was their usual case and he never got the chance again, any time soon. He was wondering if like in his fantasies, Max wore lacy and sexy red lingerie.

As Alec started unbuttoning her jeans Max took the opportunity to do the same to him. She hooked her fingers into his jumper and lifted it over his head tossing it somewhere behind her. He did the same right back.

It wasn't long before they were both standing there, naked and nervous. Not nervous about what they were doing but about what would come after. Max just wanted him to say something, anything to give her some kind of indication that he felt something. Instead of talking, she took a step closer and pulled his mouth to her own.

Alec needed no further invitation. Where the night before and the hour earlier had been largely either alcohol fuelled, tension filled, sexual tension resolving good old fashioned hot fucking this was something neither had experienced before.

It was making love. It felt right. It was special. There was no urgency to find release. There was no need to find domination. He explored Max's body with a fervour he hadn't realised that he had. He licked and kissed and sucked. His fingers trailed and played and Alec didn't think he had ever enjoyed all the other parts of sex quite so much. He always enjoyed foreplay but this was different. It wasn't about getting a chick hot and bothered so they could move to the sex quicker.

Max was enjoying Alec, more than she thought possible. Alec had brought her to the edge so many times and she did it right back. There wasn't a part on him she hadn't thoroughly claimed as her own. And when she licked the spot low on the side of his neck where she had bitten him the night before the reaction out of him almost made her come on the spot. It made her realize just what the power of touch really was.

Alec felt the change in his body and it was then that he discovered that Max had claimed him. The second she touched him there he remembered some important moments from the night before. _She claimed me first. And I did it right back_. Alec knew they would have to talk about it. But he didn't want to worry about it at that point in time. Claims weren't easily broken so they had plenty of time to sort it out.

It was sometime during these magical moments that Alec realized that he really did love her. But he didn't know what to say or do about it. Add the claim into the mix and he had the beginning of a very serious headache. And it was named Max. Conversations with her were difficult at the best of times, let alone about feelings and what could be called a time of crisis.

He finally entered her and couldn't really think after that. They moved in perfect rhythm and Max had never felt so good. She finally tipped over the edge and in the throes of passion against his neck silently whispered _I Love You_ as she came.

Alec had felt her mouth move against his neck but didn't realize she was saying the same thing he was thinking.

Afterward they lay together both tired and falling asleep. He looked at her in a way she had never seen before. He just smiled and whispered "Go to sleep Maxie. We'll talk in the morning"

She kissed him before settling in and falling asleep. Tired as he was he looked at her for a couple of minutes before drifting to sleep himself. His last thoughts before sleep overcame him, of just how beautiful she really was.

Waking first at the surprising late time of 7 in the morning Max was kind of shocked that he was still there. She had been a little worried that he would slink off when she fell asleep.

Watching him sleep was not a new craze; she had done it many times. He needed sleep a hell of a lot more than she did. But it was different. She decided that she liked waking up with his arm around her. The other arm was resting along her side, his hand resting on her thigh. She felt his fingers flex and knew he wasn't sleeping anymore.

His fingers started circling and stroking getting closer to her inner thigh. A whisper startled her "Feel like a bit of morning glory?" And then he chuckled as her legs spread allowing him access to where he wanted.

Things got heated quickly especially once Alec started kissing down her chest to her belly before positioning himself between her spread legs. He could see Max's hands gripping the sheets already.

Unable to keep his mouth shut he joked "Want me to make you scream?"

"Oh shut up Alec and just do it then." Her response was all her. Impatient and bossy, it made Alec chuckle. Max was on fire and she felt like she would just die if he didn't touch her. He licked and teased and kissed his way around her thighs and hips and teased her mercilessly until she was begging him to please touch her, words soon dying on her lips as she started moaning when he finally put tongue to clit.

He made Max come hard and fast and barely gave her a second to recover before he was on top of her and pushing his way inside. He definitely made her scream and it was a bit of a shock for her poor neighbour who was roused from sleep by the sound of Max screaming Alec's name. Dix wasn't sure that he would ever be able to look at either of them the same again. Maybe he would have to move.

As they lay there satiated, staring at each other, neither knew what to say. Max spoke first.

"What is going on here Alec?"

"Well Max. We are possibly having some of that fantastic mate sex that we've been hearing about for a while now" He decided not to beat around the bush. If he didn't bring the whole claim thing straight out into it then it would just get ignored.

"Oh." She paused not sure where to take the conversation. "You're okay with that then?"

"I'm better than okay with it Maxie. For a genetically empowered stud, I really haven't felt this good in ages. I think that your body is going to be my new religious temple." He winked at her and moved into her for a quick kiss.

Max smiled as she playfully swatted the back of his head "So then I guess we're together now." Watching him nod she continued "Good, then that means you will be moving in here then? And have to tell me where you are fucking off to during the day instead of just disappearing" She threw that in because of the day before.

Alec laughed. He knew Max was going to be a possessive one. "Why not, stay here more than I go home anyway. And yes I will tell you but don't think you'll be telling me what to do." He was still going to see Logan whether she wanted him to or not.

"Hmm. We'll see. Hungry?" Alec knew that the conversation was not over by any means just that it would be continued at a later time. And at a time to suit Max.

"Actually Maxie, I am starved. But I need a shower first" And he was being honest. He needed a shower to wake up a bit.

Kissing him on the nose as she lifted herself up Max smiled at him "I'll cook, you shower and then after we've eaten I'll have a quick shower before we head to work. End of month today. It's always busy when we do the GPS searches. I think that quite a few more of us have decided to go back to the armed forces, which means a bit more work today. Oh, and I have to add all the pregnant X5's to the medical list for the new Doctor's office"

"Better add Gem to that list" Alec mumbled as he headed into the bathroom yawning. "And I need coffee too please Maxie"

Max threw some sweats on so she could cook something. Realizing pretty quickly that she didn't have that much there for cooking and cereal would just have to do. Listening to the water run and Alec singing a Bon Jovi song Max smiled. She didn't remember the last time she felt this contented.

Happily making coffee and getting some bowls of cereal ready she didn't even notice that Alec was standing behind her until he threw his arms around her waist and started kissing her neck. It startled her at how at ease she was in his presence.

She turned into him and kissed him on the lips and handed him the coffee.

"So if Gem's pregnant I gather she saw Logan and his wife at the Doctors and that means that Logan's wife is pregnant too?"

"It appears so. Okay with that?"

"Yes Alec. I told you I don't really think that I actually loved Logan, now that I know the difference between love and guilt." She paused seemingly thinking "And also since, well, you"

It was a quiet statement. But it had kind of slipped out. Max had actually meant to only say it in her head. _Maybe he didn't hear it...Bullshit he heard it and he is not going to let it go. Way to ease into it Max, perhaps you haven't matured as much as we thought_. Her inner demons battled and made her inwardly cringe.

If Alec hadn't been so sharp he almost would have missed that comment. "What do you mean, since me?"

Rolling her eyes and looking at him with the same look he had seen directed at him so many times, the look he called _Shoulda named him dick_ "Well what do you think, Dick?"

He knew exactly what she meant "Back at ya Maxie" And that was that. Their own special declaration of love. Both were secretly chuffed that they didn't have to actually say the words, took some pressure off that's for sure.

They drank their coffee and ate the cereal before Max had a shower and Alec watched just five minutes of his beloved boob tube and they headed off to HQ with smiles on their faces, hand in hand, unaware of the drama that their day would bring.


End file.
